Growing up in the UK in the ‘80’s I remember the song “Turning Japanese” by one-hit-wonder “The Vapors”. I remember there were fierce debates regarding the meaning of the lyrics and if you run a Google you will see the controversy still continues to this day. “No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women No fun…..” What? No fun? Well, some of the most fun I’ve had in years and a real true educational experience came from my first visit to Japan to visit Irving Resources Inc. on Hokkaido Island. Since I am in lockdown and unable to travel to Ecuador I thought I would vicariously take you on a field trip.

Frankly, I was beginning to think geologists are just slicing the baloney thinner and just when I think we know it all something new comes along…. When I started writing “Straight Talk” in 2001 it was because I was increasingly uncomfortable with the half truths and deliberate falsehoods coming out …

“Since we decided a few weeks ago to adopt the leaf as legal tender, we have, of course, all become immensely rich.” Ford stared in disbelief at the crowd who were murmuring appreciatively at this and greedily fingering the wads of leaves with which their track suits were stuffed. ‘But …

2016 PDAC Special: this is the second half of a chapter from my book “The Last Great Adventure, Part One”, (a work in progress). When the book finally gets published the profits will go to the Baca Ortiz Hospital for Children in Quito. One day I got a phone call …

This is the first half of a chapter from my book “The Last Great Adventure, Part One”, (a work in progress). The second half will follow in the next few days. In 1998 I was in Caracas, Venezuela, a partner in a gold and diamond venture with a group of …

My buddy Bob Moriarty has done me the honour of putting my “Straight Talks” into book form and it is now on Kindle. For a measly 3 bucks you can get half of my old essays. The second half is coming soon!

Up, up and away…my beautiful, my beautiful balloon! For the many disciples of Austrian Economics who read this Blog, yes I feel as cheated, bamboozled and perplexed about the prices of gold and silver than any of you. Everything is topsy-turvy. On the back of the greatest coordinated money creation …

Several readers have asked me, “Where have you been for nine years?” The short answer, “Hey, I’ve been busy!” Someone asked if I’d been in “suspended animation…..another (jokingly I hope) said, “I thought you’d died.” As Mark Twain put it, “Rumours of my death are premature.” Well, to focus on …

I thought it only fitting in honour of Hallowe’en to provoke a little discussion on The Dead, Zombies, and those Prematurely Declared Dead. My subject is the Junior Mining Sector. But I’m not going to be too ghoulish and hopefully not too pessimistic. Sadly, the damage has already been done …

Denver is the home of the United States Geological Survey and a popular watering hole for geologists for many years has been the Rock Bottom Pub. Maybe it’s the micro-brews many geos I know are partial to; maybe it’s the word “Rock”, or the tongue-in-cheek that once you’ve crossed the …